i
Dr. It. E. Lee Sleincr
Dr. R. E. Lee Steiner Reminisces
On Earlier Days in Salem Area
By Ben Maxwell
Dr. R. E. Lee Sleiner, who will be 78 on September 23, vividly
recalls Salem in 1886, when he arrived here with his parents from
Bluffton, Ohio. But Dr. Steiner's memory does not extend back
into those early pioneer times
when some frontiersman select
ed a nearby oak tree for a fancy
hitching post.
About two years ago Dr
Steiner suspected that a very
large, old and brittle oak tree
at the back of his home was a
hazard to his house. He had the
tree felled and worked the 150
year old giant measuring two
feet and ten inches across the
stump into fireplace wood. One
day, when the burning oak was
making the living room cheerful
and comfortable, Dr. Steiner
observed an iron object pro
truding from a half burned
stick. Investigation showed it
to be a primitive hitching ring
attached to a steel spike pene
trating the oak about five inches
This discovery set Dr. Steiner
to thinking and measuring. Tip
of the spike, he determined,
was 118 annual rings Inward
from the cambium. He conclud
ed that the hitching ring must
have been fastened to the oak
In the late 1840's-, when the tree
was about 50 years old. Then
he gave the relic to his grand
son and namesake, Lee, who had
helped him with the investiga
tion. Oldtimers have informed Dr
Steiner that they have heard
their grandparents tell of times
when pioneers camped in th
oak grove that once covered
Fry's hill because a cool spring
on the north slope, just below
the Steiner house, once sup
plied an abundance of good wa
ter. An ancient Indian trail
followed Pringle creek and
skirted the front of the hill
Traders visiting the Chemeketa
Indians camped on Fry's hill be
cause this elevation allowed a
view in three directions of na
tive movements, a desirable con
tribution to security.
Nor does Dr. Steiner have per
sonal knowledge of days in the
summer of 1858 when artists
from Kuchels and Dresels' litho
graphic shop in San Francisco
built a platform in an oak tree
a few hundred feet west of his
present home and sketched Sa
lem as it appeared 86 years ago.
Only original print of this scene
known to exist In Salem is
owned by Judge L. H. McMa
han. But Dr. Steiner does recall
a toboggan slide on, Fry's hill
in the 1880's, when more snow
fell in winter than has appear
ed in recent years. This slide
that provided a winter time
thrill for a generation of 60
years ago started from a plat
form eight feet above ground
and terminated some distance
beyond High street. Water was
sprinkled on the slide to soon
freeze and give tobogganists an
illusion of greased lightning. Ul
timately it became so dangerous
that a son of John Knight, Mar
ion county sheriff, was killed
in seeking a thrill.
Telephone service came to Sa
lem in May 1884, and when Dr.
Steiner came to town two years
later the service with eight sub
scribers was centralized in the
Chemeketa hotel (now the Mar
ion), where Billy Dumars
handled the key for Western
Union. First phones were non
electric and consisted of a box
with an opening across which
was stretched a membrane that
served for a diaphram. A wire.
then as now, carried the voice
and an audible conversation was
possible for about a half mile
Dr. John Reynolds, who lived
on Ferry street between High
and Church, had such a phone
connection with George E.
Good's drug store on Commer
cial street. It worked well
enough at times.
First subscribers to telephone
; service in Salem were Edward
jCroisan, sheriff; James Putnam,
(state librarian; Dr. J. N. Smith,
I Dr. W. H. Byrd, W. S. Low,
liveryman, Col. J. Olmstead,
laundryman, Smith & Steiner's
drug store, R. J. Hendricks.
Statesman editor and O. L. Dar
ling, depot agent. In the late
1880s or early 1890s, when a
magneto was attached to jingle
the bell, cost of phone installa
tion was $20. In those days the
exchange was located at the rear
of Dr. Steiner's drug store and
his sister Alice, now Mrs. Mil
ton Meyers, was central. Dr
Steiner was so enthusiastic
about the innovation that he al
so named his dog Central. Of
the original list of subscribers
only Ed Croisan and Dr. Steiner
are known to be alive today.
"And now, before you go
Dr. Steiner asked, "did you ever
hear of the Century club?" (The
writer had not but he kept his
family awake nights a decade
later). This national organiza
tion had a chapter in Salem and
any cyclist who could ride
high wheel, solid tire bike 100
miles in a day was eligible for
membership.- In 1888 Ben Tay
lor, Perry Card, Bert Hatch, Lot
Pearce, Joe Albert. W. W. Mar
tin and Dr. Steiner proudly
wore Century insignia. In addi
tion. Dr. Steiner still carries
a chin scar resulting from a spill
off a high wheel boneshaker of
60 years ago.
HEADQUARTERS
"Salem Model Airplane Club"
Airplane, Boats, Railroad Kits
Cherry City MotW
Aircraft
21st and Market Streets
Peavy to Speak
To Fire Wardens
Closing event of the state fire
wardens' conference in session
here since Wednesday afternoon
will be the dinner this evening
at the Marion hotel.
Main speaker at tiie dinner;
will be George W. Peavy of Cor-1
vallis, present mayor of that
town and dean emeritus of the;
school of forestry at OSC, presi
dent emeritus of OSC and for- i
merly district governor of Ro-'
tary. Also addressing the group
will be Dean Paul Dunn of the i
OSC school of forestry and ex-
peeled to be present at the din-i
ner is Ted S. Goodyear, state
forester of Washington. j
Completing the program will
be a reading by Addyse Lane,
student at Willamette universi
ty; a vocal number by Roy Og
lesby, district warden for west
Lane county and a member of
the Eugene Gleemen; selections
by a group of accordionists from
tile Meisinger studio; acts by
Jack Spong, magician; and group
singing. Miss Ruth Bedford will
serve as accompanist for Ogles-
by and for the group singing.
In general charge of the plans
for the dinner is Albert Gille of
the state forestry department of
fice here.
! Affiliate With Church
i Clear Lake An Easter serv
ice was held at the Clear Lake
j church with the following per
sons going into the church:
Enduring Beauty in Venetian Blinds
FLEXALUM
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The most adaptable tones to blend with today's
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Unaffected by atmospheric
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Fire Proof
Slats will not burn, and even
the smooth plastic finish is
flame-proof.
Sun Proof
Plastic finish will not chip,
crack, peel or discolor.
REINHOLDT & LEWIS
MANUFACTURERS
560 South 21st St. Phone 3148
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175 S. High Ph. 3815
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QUISENBERRY'S
Central Pharmacy
Capital Journal, Salem. Oretjon, Friday. April 11. 19475
Patsy LaMara, Echo Parmen
tier, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence
Bagger and family and Mrs.
Gosser.
People tell us:
That'i really a
miracle shampoo,
leaves hair clean, fresh an'1
ready for any atyle."
Easy to use.
A jar lasts and lasts. ; ; l
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KAV OAUMIT'S
1
AW
RED CROSS PHARMACY
Ph. 4804
JUST look at yourself standing
there, that come-to-Poppa gleam
brightening in your eye with every
passing second.
Look at you taking in those long,
sleek, all-the-way-through fender
lines and falling harder for them
every minute.
Honestly now aren't you just
itching to get hands on that wheel
and touch off the surging Fireball
power packing that big bonnet?
Aren't you picturing yourself giving
the scornful laugh to the cobbles and
the bumps, the jars and the jolts, in
this steady, road-wise, coil-spring-cushioned
husky?
Haven't you spotted a new light-of-your-life
that you'd love to call your
one-and-only if you only dared con
fess it?
Well, go ahead your wife won't
mind.
She's probably way ahead of you in
spotting the spanking fresh new styl
ing of this brawny Buick. She has
decided she wants the smart and
roomy interiors the featherweight
handling the gorgeous glamorous
bigness of it.
She's probably saying to herself,
"Well, don't just stand there do
something ! Let's get one of these for
ONLY BUICK HAS ALL THESI
AIRFOIL FINDERS
FIRIBAU POWER
ACCURIU CYLINDER BORINO
SILENT ZONE BODY MOUNTINGS
FLITEWEIGHT PISTONS
BUICOll SPRINGING
FULL-LCNGTH TORQUE-TUBE DRIVI
PERMI-FIRA STECRINO
k BRQADRIM WHEELS
STEPON PARKING BRAKE
DEEPFLEX SEAT CUSHIONS
CURL-AROUND BUMPERS
NINt SMART MODELS
BODy BY FISHER
Tun. in HENS I. TAYLOR,
Mutual Network, Monday! and Fridayt
our own
So go ahead. Make up your mind.
A.nd take the first step toward
having a Buick of your own which
is simply to get your order in.
Otto J. Wilson Company
3S8 N. Commercial St. Phone 9961
Salem, Oregon